Cotton-picker.



H. M, REESE. COTTON PICKER.

APPLICATION FILED .EUNE 30, 1916. 1,241,280; Patented Sept. 25,1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

H. M. REESE.

COTTON PICKER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE-'50, I916.

Patented Sept. 25, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- dle.

HORACE QM. nn-E51 3, or (ATLANTA, amnesia.

i, 'COTTON-PICKER. I

'aspecification orteaeisratent. P m m g ,25,1911;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthatI, HORACE :Rnnsn, a citizen of the United States, residing atAtlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and use- 'ful Improvements in Cotton PmkerS, of WhlChfillG follow ng 1s a speclfication.

This invention contemplates an improved 7 cottonpicker of thepneumatic type and has asiitsqprimaryobjeot to provide a devicef of this character which maybe, connected to and operated fromanofdinary ridingsad- The invention has, as a furtherobject to provide .a device of this character. wherein when the saddle is in position upon a draft animal, the animal may be ridden between contiguous rows of cotton for transporting the device, and wherein thedevice will be adapted for operationupon each of said rows. i

A still further object ,of the lnventlon 1s to provide a device of this character emseveral views,

ploying a suction fan, and .to provide in connection therewlth, an efiiclent mounting for the fan, as well as efficient means for v propelling the fan.

And the invention .has as' astill further object to provide. a ,device of this character wherein cotton will be deposited within suitable sacks or other containers and wherein the said sacks. or containers may be readily attached to or detached from the device, softhat. when one sack becomes filled,

itmay be readily :replacedby an empty sack. Other and incidental obj cots will appear as the description proceeds and in thepdraw- ,ings, wherein I have illustrated the pre- "ferred embodiment ofythe invention and wherein, similar reference characters desi nate corresponding parts throughoutQthe Figure 1 device {is mounted. upon. a riding saddlal the e 1 ont l' v i e na tici larly ne dto.. oiirera t rewith fer-sc eeneding a sack to he said nozzle,

more particularly illustrating a sidev elevation particularly showingthe manner in which my 'improved anti-friction bearings 17;

Fig, isa section' taken o n'ithe line of 'Fig. 2 showing the device detached and" the internal construction of the picker,

Fig, his asectlon taken .on the line vofFi'g. 3

and particularly illustrating the mounting of the gearing shafts arranged to actuate the suction" fan, 1

a Fig! 5 is a f agmentary sectional view particularly ,Showing thethrust bearing providedfor the fan shaft, and i a Fig. .6 is a; fragmentary perspective View ofthe frame'of thepicker, i I

In carrying out my invention, I employ aibase 1Q which, upon its loiver edge is pro- \'r1d.ed ..with .an attaching flange '11; having suitable openings formed. therein adapted to receive bolts or other,suitablefastening devices bywhich the said basefinay be conneoted to the bow of asaddlc, in the: manner shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings. Thesad dle shown in this figure has, forconvenience,

been conventionally. illustrated and the/bow of the vsaid. saddle isfcut away orflattened to recelvethe flange, 11,,wlith the bolts con-' nectingl; the base with ,the saddle extending through the .bow.. It will be observed that thebase 10 is relativelyjfiatand is arranged inlongitudinal relation to thesaddle. I [integrally {formedon. the upper edge. of

, the base lO is; a longitudinally disposed cylindrical casingI-Q i'vhich is. open at its 1 ends and which, upon the upper side there of, is provided with an openinglii. For med on the forwarde'dge of the base 10 and integral with the said casing, is aprefer ably cylindrical flange ,or headfl l, while. a; frame 15 rises from the casing ,12 and extends obliquely and. laterally froin.,the base 10 inythe-manner best'shown in Fig. 3 of. :the drawings. .:The frame 15 is preferably of the general contour illustratedv and, is connected to Jthecasing lQf'a'djacent the extremities thereof, "as more particularly shown 1 in Fig. ;6, the forward edge ofpthe .said frame being integral with the ,head 14.

Iir'this connection, it 1 is tojbe observed that the said, frame lies in a: plane the base 10.

f {Detagihably withinlthe is a longitudinally arrangedafan shaftlfi uhich projects-through a] suitable opening a m in the head '14.. nd when, itaent We toward e ay-,a a ende The shaft lti adjacent its rear eXtremit-y,is provided with an annular groovefl18 as shown in detall in Fig. 5 of the drawings adapted to receive anti-friction devices ,19wvhich are removably fitted within a suitable] raceway 20,

surrounding the opening formed. in'. the adjacent end of the casing and receiving the? shaft; ,Closing the, said opening and adapted to maintain the anti-frictiondevices 19 in operative position, is a plate 21 whiehis detachably connected to the casing preferably by a pluralityof screws22.

It will be seen that thel bearing' thus pro- 'ividediwill operatively support any longiv Y "Mounted upon the oppositeside edges-of the frame 15 are coacting closure plates tudinal thrust upon the shaft 16.

23 which are detachably connected to the said frameby'aplurality of belts or other suitable' fastening' devices 24. The plates '23 inconnectionwith the frame 15'pr'ovide a -housing for a train of gears mounted uponpa'rallel'. shafts- 25, .26 and 27, respec tively. The plates 23 as best shown in -Fig.'4, are, at suitable points, provided with sockets, .28 adapted:to receive the e tremi-f 4 ties of the'said shafts and arranged within anti-friction devices being mounted Within su1t'ableannu1ar 'raceways formed 1n the sockets.

i ff.. The sockets receiving the shaft 25 are :open at theirouterfends, and the said shaft jject" laterally'fupon'opposite sides of the v 'fgea'r"casing'previously referred to. 5 Connecte'd to'the projecting outerends of the being arranged upon each side of the gear shaft 25 are cranks 30, which are provided with handles 31,-one' of the said cranks casing. Itfwill ben'oted that'the gear casprojects longitudinally of the saddle supporting the device, as shown in- Figure 1 of thedrawings, toward the rear end of thesaddle in' such mannerthat a' person 1 sitting upon'the saddle mayreadily operate the cranks 30jto rotate the shaft-25.

' Mounted upon the shaft 25. is a gear wheel 32 which is arranged to mesh with a pinion 33'carried by theshaft26. Mounted l uponthe' shaft. 26 is agearwheel 34 which arranged to mesh with a pinion 35 carried, the shafty27. The shaftv 27 also has arranged thereon, a gear wheel 36 jwhichis 1 disposed to project through. the opening 13 formed in. the casing to operative'ly engage w m 'g'fkeyed uponthe fan shaft 16.

-*'It wi11;noW be clear that'when the shaft 25 is rotatedthrough the medium of the cranks 30, rotary"movement will be im- 1 parted to the shaft 16 through'the inter- {jme'diatej train of gears. The ratioof these ygears will. be such as found mos'tdesirable in thepractieal use o'fthe device but prefmember 457'. the sockets' are anti-frictional devices 29 rotatablysupporting "the shafts, the saidstably, the shaft 16 will be meted at a relatively high rate of speed," while the shaft 25 is turned but slowly.

:Keyedupon the forward end of the shaft 16 is a suction fan 38 which is surrounded by a casing 39. The casing 39 is arranged to seat against the head 14L in the manner bestshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and is detachably connected thereto by a plurality of bolts 40, it being observed that the said casing is formedin sections having coactin flanges 41 formed thereon which are Qjoine by-a. plurality of bolts 42 detac'hably connecting the section'sof the casing.

The casing 39 upon one sidethereof, is

extended to provide a tubular discharge spout 43, best shown" in Figl2 of the drawings and detachably' connected to 't his spout, is' a discharge nozzle 44}. 1 The discharge nozzle. 44 is preferably, formed with a substantially frusto-co'nical outer terminal l5 Which nerges'intO a neck 46, the neckbeingsuitably connected with the discharge spout 43. Loosely surrounding the neck 46 of the "discharge nozzle and adapted to cooperate therewith, isfa loclnng' ring or The lockingring 47 ispreferably formedfrom a length of suitable resilient wire and is freely mounted upon the 'neckf4c6 of "the discharge nozzle} to slide longitudinally thereon. Upon. one side vofthe said ring the length of wirejis'bent intosubstantially U-shape to form alaterallyjprojecting ear or hook 481which may be readily grasped for moving "the ring, longitudinally upon the neck46. e

In use, the outer. frusto-conical terminal {l5 or} the'discharge 'noz zleis designed to be inserted within the open end of anordin'ary cotton sack or other suitable container, and the free edges ofthe sack will then be'folded about. the ,neck 46 o f the disch'arge nozzle. The locking ring 47 will then be arranged to surround such folded portion of. the sack nallytapere'd neck "of the discharge nozzle.

It willbe observed. that the inner terminal :45; of the discharge nOZZlewiIl, in-use,be *adapted 'to maintain the open, end of the sack eXtended',-- so'that' cotton maylreadily enter the sack while, when one'sack has be- ,come filled, such sack may be readily detached from the discharge nozzle and a new emptylsack easily substituted therefor.

axially of the flange 38 is provided with-a fjan'd will then-be'moved.toyield'ably bind the sack therebetween and the longitudii The outer wall of the casing 39, at a point bifurcated to receive flexible legs 51 adapted, when the device is mounted upon a draft animal, as previously described, to extend upon each side of the said animal in the manner shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The legs 51 may be of any desired length and detachably connected to the outer terminals thereof in any suitable manner, are picker nozzles 52 having angularly disposed terminals 53. Pivotally connected to the nozzles 52 are caps 54.- which are adapted to be maintained in normal position closing the outer open ends of the said nozzles by spring catches 55 carried by the said caps and adapted to cooperate with suitable lugs formed on the nozzles. The caps 5st will prevent foreign matter from being drawn into the picker element when the nozzles 52 are not actually being used.

From the preceding description, it will thus be seen that when my improved device is mounted upon a draft animal, the said animal maybe directed between contiguous rows of cotton, with the picker nozzles 53 so disposed that the cotton from each of said rows may be picked therefrom. A person riding the draft animal and sitting upon the saddle supporting the device will operate the cranks 30 causing a suction to be set up within the fan casing 39 through the medium of the fan 38. Other persons walking upon the ground will then each operate one of the nozzles 53 in the well known manner, to pick the cotton. The cotton, as will be clear, will be drawn up through the picking element 49 into the casing 39 when it will then be dischargedthrough the discharge spout l l into the sack arranged thereon. It will consequently be seen that I provide a very simple and eflicient construction for the purpose set forth.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A cotton picker for attachment to a riding saddle including a base, means connecting the base with the bow of the saddle, a fan mounted upon the base, a casing surrounding said fan and provided with a dis Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the charge opening, a picker element leading into the casing, a gear casing extending from the base rearwardly over the seat of the saddle, and means for rotating the fan and arranged within the gear casing, said means including a drive shaft carried by the gear casing, and a crank mounted upon the shaft and arranged for actuation by an operator seated upon the saddle.

2. cotton picker for attachment to a riding saddle including a flanged base having a flat lower terminal seating upon the bow of the saddle, means extending through said flanges and connecting the bow, a fan, means for rotating the fan, a casing surrounding the fan and provided with a discharge opening, and a picker element leading into the fan casing.

3. A. cotton picker for attachment to a riding saddle including a base formed to seat upon the saddle bow, means connecting the base with the bow of the saddle, a fan mounted upon the base, means for rotating the fan, a casing surrounding the fan and provided with a discharge opening, and a picker element leading into the casing, the said picker element including a bifurcated inner terminal secured to the casing with its furcations projecting laterally in opposite directions with respect to the saddle, and flexible terminals secured, to the said furcations.

l. A cotton picker adapted for attachment to a riding saddle and including a base formed to seat upon the saddle bow, means connecting the base with the bow of the saddle, a fan rotatable upon the base, a gear casing projecting from the base rearwardly over the seat of the saddle, means upon the outer extremity of said casing and arranged above the saddle seat for rotating the said fan, a casing surroui'iding the fan, and a picker element leading into the said casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE M. REESE. [Ls] Witnesses:

H. S. GRAVES, P. B. RAND.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. O.

the base with 

